This invention relates to a shipping cover serving to provide a composite shipping package that includes a piston assembly for the well known standardized AB-type air brake system for which detailed service and maintenance instructions are prescribed under the authority of the AAR in connection with the procedures for reconditioning and testing brake cylinder pistons.
In accordance with the standardized maintenance procedures, it is required periodically to remove the air brake piston assemblies and replace them with new or reconditioned parts of the same type. Generally, all cleaning and conditioning of the removed piston assemblies is performed in a central service yard. After being removed from a railroad car, the piston assembly is shipped back to the service yard. After being removed from a railroad car, the piston assembly is shipped back to the service yard. After servicing, it is then shipped out to repair tracks for storage until it is needed again. During shipment and storage, the piston assemblies which are required to function precisely and which are required to be free of contaminants are exposed to rough handling, inclement weather and dust and dirt, all of which tends to degrade its internal mechanisms.
In the past, there has been no suitable container provided for protecting the piston assembly during shipment and storage. The fact is that the equipment is frequently protected only by a gunny sack or other fragile wrapping incapable of preventing mechanical damage or contamination. The result of this is that the essential purpose of the extensive and careful maintenance procedures is lost.